DC Arts Center Presents Ground Zero

Opening Reception: Friday, October 23 from 7pm to 9pm

“After transforming my own random scribbles into neon drawings in the series Unintentional Drawings I noticed a photograph in (the NY times) of the Ground Zero Blues Club taken by Shane Lavelette for the High Museum in Atlanta. It was for an exhibition titled Picturing the South, 2010.

The image of a corner of the club immediately resonated, reminding me of my own random graffiti. Yet it was different; it was done by strangers in a dark classic southern blues club. There were decades of mostly intentional, overlapping marks entirely covering the club. In February of 2013, I traveled to Clarksdale to see the graffiti, first hand. The visual impact was astonishing. The feeling was similar to when I discovered my unintentional drawings years before. I stayed for two days in Clarksdale collaborating with photographer Evy Mages taking 1,000’s of images of the club walls, ceilings and furnishings. They were all taken in low light and hand held. I selected the most poignant images, knowing I was going to light them and had them printed on 3’ x 2’ Epson premium photo paper- enhanced matte. Painted and scratched neon tubing was then used to highlight, deconstruct and reinvent the original images.”

Ground Zero will be open from October 23 through December 6, 2015. Opening reception on Friday, October 23 from 7 to 9 pm. Gallery talk on Sunday, December 6 at 5 pm. On Sunday, November 15 at 7 pm, Kraft will discuss neon’s history, application, and fabrication.

Gallery Hours:

Wednesdays – Sundays: 2 to 7 pm

All events are free and open to the public and are at DC Arts Center (DCAC), 2438 18th Street NW, Washington DC. For more information call 202-462- 7833, email [email protected], or visit www.dcartscenter.org.